made in england since 1962 moulton bicycles were the icon mini bike of the sixty`s....often appearing in fashion magazines along side the icon mini car etc...
this is a 1972 mk 3...proberly made by raliegh who took over production to help keep up with demand.. steel chromed raliegh brake calipers and levers as fitted to most 1970s ralieghs like the chopper,grifter,twenty,etc...
dynamo front hub and bolt on lights for commuting...
sturmy archer 3 speed hub with drum brake and rear carrier rack...
and front and rear `elastometer` suspension
a friends dad had given this to me..repainted and partly restored to ride..has a new chain and front tyre,aftermarket side stand and seat..
strangely it has a 17" front wheel 16"rear..is this right?
it needs the correct 3 speed cable and trigger shifter..it has a grifter twist shifter and grips fitted..that and a rear tyre and dynamo lights wired up...
this is what it looked like when found...
i wouldnt have painted it and would have just wiped the frame with oil but now its done...once going it will get stripped and all chrome bits sandblasted aswell as the frame and the whole bike painted nato army green...a nice wee roadrat for the odd ride to work...
his dad also gave me this saracen mtb thats been fitted with semi slick tyres,mudgaurds,rack and stand...its a size small though..
hardly used the bikes whole parts may get swapped onto a steel frame in the future for a commuter..maybe an on-one inbred...an 80mm travel front fork & steel frame commuter would be alot more comfortable to ride to work on the rough country roads than the old cannondale killer v i currently use which has no flex at all and you feel every ripple and bump...theres always lots to tinker with...
Sweetness! The Moulten is a bike I would love to have have. Just for it's iconic greatness. Lucky you! Have fun with it and I can't wait to see more pics! Cheers.
ReplyDeletehi jerome, the moulton is a keeper as it is indeed a historic bicycle with a massive following of fans...wee wheeled fun!
ReplyDeleteYou lucky thing, I'm a fan of the Moultons as well.
ReplyDeleteThe wheels should be matching sizes although Moulton did use two different size wheels. I like the look of the earlier F-frames better with the non-triangulated rear swing-arm.
it is odd about the wheel size antoine...
ReplyDeletedont know if it should be 16" or 17"?, the mudgaurds seem to fit ok...
rethinking colour...keep the chrome and repaint in campstove green (british racing green)
its too good to make a ratbike with...
Crikey - bicycle archaeologists! Bro, that's a cracking wee bike. Was BRG one of the original colours? If so, def go for that!
ReplyDeleteNice work with the Moulton.
ReplyDeleteI love the matching chain guard!
im not sure if BRG was an original colour big bro but once painted to me the originality is lost anyway...im now starting to think about mtb 24 speed now as have a rear hub,mechs, triple chainset etc...alloy bars,stem,levers,B17 seat...also got an old rear bolt on disc bracket...mmm...this could be a fun little progect!
ReplyDeleteGreat little bicycle!!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of the racing green.
With a little Scottish flag sticker on the back "spatbord" and a sign "Left hand drive"!!
lol...yes "spatboard"....dutch for "fender"
ReplyDeletewhat you guys doing on the wrong side of the road anyway? lol....
oh my god i want that bike bad. you can never sell it any other but me coast.
ReplyDeleteDear Sir,I have an old moulton bike in the same condition as the one you had when you found it.Would you know what it is worth.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks.
My email address is franceschirs@yahoo.co.uk
If you have the time could you send me a reply.
Re the blue Moulton, it is the fairly rare Mark 3 model, only about 5000 manufactured when production ceased until the 1980s.
ReplyDeleteThe wheels should be identical originally for16" by 1 and 3/8th" tyres (ERTRO 349)
Check the Ertro number on the Swalbe front tyre, is it be 32 - 349 or 37 - 349?
If 349 you have the correct 16 inch rim on the front,